Disney World's New President is Precisely Who We Wanted in the Position.

One week after Jeff Vahle announced his retirement, a new president has been named for Walt Disney World as part of a bigger-picture leadership shake-up at Parks & Resorts that also impacts Disneyland Paris, Disney Cruise Line, and more. Here’s the latest, plus our commentary about why this news has us optimistic!

As basic background, the previous leadership shuffle on March 10th resulted in Thomas Mazloum, previously the Disneyland Resort President, being promoted to Disney Experiences Chairman. That role had been left vacant by virtue of the Board of Directors announced that it elected former Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro to become Chief Executive Officer, effective at the Annual Meeting on March 18th.

When Thomas Mazloum was named head of Parks & Resorts and Consumer Products two months ago, the company also announced the following changes to its leadership team, with all roles reporting to Mazloum (links to their official Disney bios):

For more on each of those changes, see our post about the New Parks & Resorts Leadership Under Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and Thomas Mazloum. The previous changes are relevant as they could be motivation for Jeff Vahle’s departure and/or signal who is next on deck for promotion to the Walt Disney World President position.

Fast-forward to May 18, 2026 and new Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum has announced a series of senior leadership appointments around Parks & Resorts:

Joe Schott is appointed President, Walt Disney World Resort
Natacha Rafalski is appointed President, Disney Signature Experiences
Christophe Murphy is promoted to President, Disneyland Paris

“Disney Experiences is in the midst of unprecedented expansion with more new projects underway across our global portfolio than at any other moment in our history,” said Thomas Mazloum, Chairman, Disney Experiences.

“These appointments reflect the depth of leadership talent driving Disney Experiences. Joe, Natacha, and Christophe have a deep appreciation of the guest experience, possess extensive financial and operational expertise, and a proven ability to deliver at scale. I have complete confidence in each of them to build on the remarkable momentum underway across these businesses and to write the next chapter of Disney’s story.”

Joe Schott, President, Walt Disney World

Joe Schott is appointed President of Walt Disney World Resort, succeeding Jeff Vahle, who is retiring after a distinguished 36-year career with the company.

Walt Disney World Resort is the world’s most frequently visited vacation resort and is the largest single- site employer in the United States, with approximately 80,000 Cast Members. It spans four theme parks, two water parks, more than 30 resort hotels, the Disney Springs retail and entertainment district, and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. It is undergoing a significant era of investment, with the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom’s history currently underway, and new lands in development at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Joe Schott is among Disney’s most experienced international operators, with more than 40 years of leadership across world renowned destinations in Asia, Europe, and beyond. Most recently, he served as president of Disney Signature Experiences, where he oversaw the launches of two new ships, the Disney Destiny and Disney Adventure.

Before that, as president and general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort, Schott led the resort through a major expansion phase, including the opening of the Zootopia-themed land – contributing to the resort surpassing 100 million guests in under a decade. Prior to Shanghai, Schott served as chief operating officer of Disneyland Paris for five years and earlier as executive managing director of Walt Disney Attractions Japan, supporting the growth of Tokyo Disney Resort.

Natacha Rafalski, President, Disney Signature Experiences

30-year veteran Natacha Rafalski is appointed President of Disney Signature Experiences (DSE), the division of Disney Experiences that encompasses Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Aulani – A Disney Resort & Spa, Adventures by Disney, National Geographic Expeditions, Storyliving by Disney, and Golden Oak.

In this new role, Rafalski will guide the next phase of Disney Cruise Line’s historic fleet expansion, growing from eight ships today to 13 vessels by 2031, with each new ship designed to serve as a powerful ambassador of the Disney brand — extending storytelling, service, and innovation to families around the world.

Rafalski brings to this role a unique blend of financial discipline, strategic vision, and a deep understanding of what moves guests. As president of Disneyland Paris since 2018, leading more than 20,000 Cast Members across two theme parks, seven themed hotels, and Disney Village.

Rafalski spearheaded the resort’s €2 billion transformation of Walt Disney Studios Park into Disney Adventure World, roughly doubling the park’s footprint and adding franchise powerhouses Marvel Avengers Campus and the recent opening of World of Frozen to the resort’s footprint. Disneyland Paris has welcomed hundreds of millions of guests as Europe’s leading tourist destination.

Rafalski also played a key role of the in the development of Shanghai Disney Resort and negotiated one of the most consequential theme park development agreements in the company’s history, before serving as Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company Greater China from 2013 to 2017.

Christophe Murphy, President, Disneyland Paris

Christophe Murphy is promoted to President of Disneyland Paris, leading one of Disney’s most storied and strategically important international destinations as it continues to evolve through creative innovation. Home to some of Disney’s most enduring stories, the resort is entering a new chapter of growth, including the development of a new Lion King–themed land that will further enrich the experience for guests from Europe and beyond.

Murphy is an experienced operational leader, with more than 35 years at The Walt Disney Company, originally joining Disneyland Paris in 1991 during the resort’s pre-opening phase. He has risen through every dimension of resort operations, including theme parks, Disney Village, hotels, entertainment, merchandise, food and beverage, and franchise integration.

In 2021, Murphy was appointed vice president of Operations for Walt Disney Attractions Japan, where he worked in close partnership with Oriental Land Company at Tokyo Disney Resort — partnering on quality standards, guest experience, and expansion strategy.

Murphy returned to Disneyland Paris in 2023 as senior vice president, Operations overseeing all operational strategy for the resort, including the delivery of the major expansion that introduced Disney Adventure World and World of Frozen to guests in March 2026. Christophe also brings valuable experience from Disneyland Paris Marketing & Sales, further broadening his perspective across the guest journey.

All leaders assume their new roles by the end of July 2026.

When previously assessing the candidates to become the new Disney Experiences Chairman (in Who Will Replace Josh D’Amaro as Head of Disney Parks & Resorts?), we wrote that Mazloum would be the most obvious pick. And in fact, he was the candidate who was chosen.

We also identified Joe Schott, Michael Moriarty, and Natacha Rafalski as the other leading contenders. None of them changed roles as part of the previous leadership shuffle, which was notable and left the door open for any of them to ascend this go-round. Although it wouldn’t be quite the same as the Parks & Resorts Chair position, being named Walt Disney World President would be a promotion for any of them.

And in fact, two of them have now moved up the ranks with the announcement of Joe Schott being the incoming Walt Disney World President and Natacha Rafalski being appointed President, Disney Signature Experiences. We view both moves as good news, albeit more so for Walt Disney World than Disney Cruise Line.

My previous analysis leaned towards Schott as being Mazloum’s closest competitor for the Disney Experiences Chairman position. However, that was also based on his extensive international experience, which is going to be incredibly relevant to the next decade of expansion for the segment as a whole. At the risk of stating the obvious, it’s not as pertinent when it comes to just Walt Disney World.

Schott is a 40-year Disney veteran who started his career as a frontline Cast Member in Operations at Walt Disney World. He began as a Jungle Cruise skipper at the Magic Kingdom, making him pretty much the quintessential “Disney Parks Guy.” (Seriously, just how many high ranking leaders and creatives got their start at Jungle Cruise?! Must be something in the water.)

To elaborate on the above bio, Schott spent 15 of the last 18 years working outside of the United States. He led Walt Disney Attractions Japan in support of the Tokyo Disney Resort for three years during the resortʼs 25th anniversary. He spent 5 years on the revitalization effort of Disneyland Paris as Chief Operating Officer. Following that, he served six years as President and General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort. This well-rounded experience is very much an asset, especially the timeframes during which he served at these international outposts.

Shanghai Disney Resort is notoriously complex from a business and political standpoint. Managing relationships with Chinese government officials, local business partners, and Shanghai Shendi Group undoubtedly required finesse and political acumen. The fact that Schott not only survived but thrived in that environment for 6 years (again, during COVID) speaks volumes.

What makes Schott particularly intriguing is his decade-plus of experience leading the international parks through anniversaries, expansion, revitalization, and (oddly) even border closures. He has wide-ranging experience, including at parks that are often regarded as better-run than Walt Disney World.

I’ve only ever had the chance to talk to Schott once at length, but came away impressed. He clearly knows Disney inside and out–his depth of knowledge and curiosity was impressive, especially about things outside his job description. He also struck me as very down to earth and human, engaging in off-the-cuff and unscripted conversation, which is sometimes rare of high ranking executives.

In the months since succession planning became a hot topic, I’ve talked to more and more people who previously worked for Schott. I’ve heard unequivocally glowing reviews; all consider him to be the type of passionate leader who makes people want to work harder.

The sense I’ve gotten of Schott is that he’s very much like D’Amaro in a hands-on since, and also having an intense passion for the product, while being more plain-spoken (in a good way). To me, that sounds like the complete package and a winning combination. Almost like a mix of the best parts of Mazloum and D’Amaro, but admittedly, I have more firsthand experience with both of them than with Schott.

Ultimately, I’m really optimistic about Schott’s future at Walt Disney World, and hope he can continue the ‘singles and doubles’ strategy that has been gaining momentum in the last year-plus. For the first time in my lifetime, Walt Disney World feels more like Disneyland, and Jeff Vahle does deserve at least some of the credit for that.

I view Joe Schott as a promising pick for the Walt Disney World President position. I would consider this “good news for fans.” He has the history, experience at other parks around the globe, and is widely-regarded as passionate about the parks and a good leader. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t simply a stopover for Schott until something bigger and better opens up. I think there’s ample reason for cautious optimism here.

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OUR THOUGHTS

What do you think of the leadership changes? Excited for Joe Schott to be the next Walt Disney World President? Thoughts on Natacha Rafalski moving over to Disney Cruise Line? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!